Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 7

Joanna took the freshly baked cream mousse from the crew member’s hand and sniffled with emotion. She hadn’t had a decent meal in weeks; the food on the escort ship and in prison was worse than Pavlov’s dog food. Although the dessert was high in calories and could easily make her gain weight, the female pirate decided to indulge herself a little and reward her taste buds and stomach.

Leo’s lazy voice came from above. “Seeing you have such a good appetite makes me really happy for you, Captain. I suggest you finish eating quickly because I’m about to report the ship’s damage, and you might lose your appetite after hearing it.”

“Just say it.” Joanna Begrel was a space pirate who roamed the sea of stars. She wouldn’t lose sleep or appetite over bad news!

“Alright. Your little lady took two hits; the first and third engines are damaged, the main power source is damaged, decompression chambers 26 and 27 are damaged, and the decompression devices can’t function properly. The microbial circulation systems in cabins 7 and 15 are damaged. I’ve sealed them off to prevent the whole ship from being flooded with wastewater, like in some old sci-fi novel.”

The female pirate let out a couple of pained grunts. “Can we hold out until the warp ends?”

“Of course. The warp generator is intact, and we still have sufficient energy. But I suggest repairing the damaged parts as soon as possible, or any Empire cruiser could sink your little lady without even trying to run.”

“Hmm…” Joanna bit her spoon, staring intently at the simulated navigation map on the screen. “We’ll go to Neo Venice to repair the ship, get supplies, and buy a few new fighter models. I saw an ad for their new ‘Bard’ model. It looks pretty good…”

“Alright, Captain.” Leo’s voice was filled with deep helplessness. “You should discuss that with the finance department. If you just want to play with new fighters, I can adjust the combat simulation system’s parameters…”

“What are you waiting for? Go do it!”

“……” The crew members on the bridge, overhearing their conversation, simultaneously put their hands to their foreheads.

“Oh right!” Joanna smacked the armrest hard. “I almost forgot! Leo, go to the supply cabin and find some clothes to send to the Mourner and his family. Those prison uniforms are an eyesore.”

“Do you even need to say that? I’ve already put them outside their door!”

Alois lay on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Although the clock beside him told him it was morning according to standard time, it was night by Hecate’s planetary time. He should have been fast asleep, but he felt no drowsiness at all. The day’s thrilling experiences had excited him so much that he couldn’t sleep.

All he could think about now was Joshua. His silky silver hair, his resilient skin, his cold lips, his warm, wet tongue. The thought of Joshua made him hot and restless. Knowing Joshua was just a wall away intensified his agitation.

Joshua had black-gold eyes… Joshua was the Mourner. Damn it! The Mourner was the strangest legend in the galaxy, an urban myth, the embodiment of death. Alois had heard of the Mourner’s name back when he was in military school; his classmates worshiped him like an idol (they also idolized the space hero Joanna, and their hearts broke when she defected from the Empire military). During his time in the Royal Guard, the legend seemed to fade, but its influence remained. The court maids talked about the black-clad assassin as if he were a handsome devil tempting them to ruin, burying girls’ hearts in the fiery abyss. In Hecate prison, the Mourner became a symbol of belief; as long as he roamed free, it proved that galactic police and bounty hunters were useless.

Now the assassin Mourner was right next to Alois. They had been so close that they could hear each other’s breathing. It could be said that Alois had never been so close to “death”. This forbidden feeling only added to his excitement. He wanted to embrace Joshua, but he had just made Joshua angry…

Knock, knock, knock.

“Who is it?” Alois jumped up from the bed, warily staring at the door.

“It’s me.” The voice outside was unmistakable—the omnipresent guy from above!

“What… what do you want?”

“Tsk, I respect your privacy, so I’m knocking. Do you think there’s a door on this ship I can’t open?”

Before Alois could consent, the door opened on its own. A man with long, deep purple hair leaned against the doorframe, wearing a luxurious robe as elaborate as a scholar of Neo Athens. At his feet was a small robot, holding a large bag over its head, with a silly, unchanging smile on its face.

The man lazily walked in, the small robot hopping after him. The door closed behind them. “Good day.” The man sat boldly in a chair, as if he were the owner. “I’m Leonard, the navigator, network administrator, and daily affairs manager of the Lady of the Night. You can call me Leo.”

“Hello…” Alois sat up straight on the bed. This guy’s tone was annoying, but given his multiple roles, he must be highly capable and valued by the captain. He wasn’t someone to provoke.

The small robot cheerfully walked up to Alois, emitting a “hee hee hee hee” sound, which should have been childlike and innocent, but was creepy at the moment.

Leo pointed at the small robot with his chin. “It’s for you.”

“It?” Alois didn’t understand what he was supposed to do with a robot.

The small robot put down the bag, retracted its hands into its body, and began transforming. It retracted its outer shell and flipped out a new one. A few seconds later, it became a small communication terminal.

“This is really advanced!” Alois carefully picked up the terminal, afraid of breaking this rare item.

Leo crossed his legs. “It can make calls, send messages, play music and videos, and access the internet wherever there’s a super-light network signal. It can also transform into a robot, but its AI is low, so it can at most bring you a cup. Don’t expect it to chat with you. Every crew member has one. Even though you’re a family member, I prepared one for you. You might become an official employee tomorrow. Wear it around your neck, so even if you’re burned to ashes, we can identify your body through the communication terminal. If it breaks, bring it to me for repairs—although that’s unlikely. If you leave the Lady of the Night someday, return it to me.”

“What’s in the bag?” Alois lightly kicked the bag the robot had brought.

“Clothes and some personal items.” Leo shrugged. “But it’s just a uniform—might be a bit ugly, so bear with it. Joanna requires everyone to wear a uniform, but no one listens to her. Wearing such ugly clothes, we’ll be laughed at by the whole galaxy sooner or later.” He glanced at Alois. “But no matter how ugly, it’s better than your prison uniform.”

“……” It’s not like he enjoyed wearing it!

“The ship has entered warp.” Leo propped his chin. “We’ll end the warp in two weeks and arrive at the Lalage system, landing on the second planet, Neo Venice.”

“How long will we stay there?”

“Who knows? Depends on how fast they can repair us.”

Alois frowned. “Actually, I’m a bit worried…”

“Worried?”

“I’m an escaped convict.”

Leo burst into laughter, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. He fell off his chair, clutching his stomach, rolling on the ground, occasionally hitting the floor hard.

“Oh, Asimov! I’ve never heard such a hilarious joke!” He laughed so hard he nearly cried. “You’re an escaped convict? Worried about being wanted? Ahaha, ahahahahaha…” He staggered up while laughing. “Don’t worry. This is the Lady of the Night, a ship full of wanted criminals!”

“……” Alois’s face was stiff. Where was the humor? Why didn’t he find it funny at all?

A minute later, Leo finally calmed down. “Get dressed,” he said, “Lunch is soon. I’ll take you to the cafeteria.”

Alois remained seated.

“Why are you still sitting? Do you need me to help you undress?”

“Do I have to undress in front of you?”

Leo snorted, turning around while muttering, “Do you think I can’t see?”

Alois opened the bag, quickly putting on the clothes inside. The dark blue uniform was of good quality but was indeed ugly. He began to sympathize with Joanna’s crew.

“Alright.” He adjusted his collar, hung the communication terminal around his neck, and followed Leo out the door.

The door next door opened with a swish, and Joshua, wearing the same uniform, stepped out. Alois’s heart fluttered as he looked at him, then his jaw dropped. Another Leo followed him out!

What happened? Did Leo have a twin brother?

The two “Leos” shook hands amicably.

“Hello, Leo α.”

“Hello, Leo β.”

“I’m going to the cafeteria, and you?”

“Me too.”

“Haha, what a coincidence.”

“Yes, what a coincidence.”

Joshua rubbed his temples. “Won’t you get schizophrenia doing this?”

The two “Leos” simultaneously scoffed. One suddenly disappeared!

Alois’s jaw dropped again.

Joshua smirked. “Don’t look so surprised. Leo is the AI of this ship.” He walked up, extended a hand, and passed it through Leo’s body, making Leo scream, “Ah! It hurts! This is murder! I won’t let you off even as a ghost!”

The assassin withdrew his hand. “It’s just a hologram.”

Alois’s jaw dropped for the third time.

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